1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a polymer production apparatus and a polymer production method.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, various types of polymers are produced depending on use thereof, and are used industrially. For example, a biodegradable polymer is known as a material, which is decomposed into water and carbon dioxide by microorganism, and is incorporated into a carbon cycle in nature. Therefore, there is an increasing demand for a biodegradable polymer, as high interest has been recently raised in protection of the environment. As for a polymerization method of a polymer, such as a biodegradable polymer, known is a method where a monomer in a melted state is polymerizable. When a monomer in a melted state is polymerized, however, there is a problem that a yield of a product is low due to influence of heat.
One of the means for solving the aforementioned problem, proposed is, for example, a polyester production apparatus, which contains a reaction tank, a member for supplying a condensate melt product of hydroxycarboxylic acid to the reaction tank, and a member for supplying a polymerization catalyst to the reaction tank, and which is configured to transform the condensate melt product into a cyclic dimmer through depolymerization caused by being contact with the catalyst in the reaction tank to thereby polymerize the dimmer through ring-opening polymerization (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2007-100011). In accordance with the proposed production apparatus, thermal decomposition is minimized during depolymerization for generating lactide monomer serving as a raw material by providing a thin film evaporator equipped with a device for measuring a holdup of the condensate melt product, and forming the condensate melt product into a thin film by this device and performing depolymerization, and therefore a polymer can be attained with high yield.
When a high molecular weight polymer having the number average molecular weight of 80,000 or greater is produced by the production apparatus disclosed in JP-A No. 2007-100011, however, there is a problem that the internal pressure of the apparatus increases as the viscosity is increased due to high molecular weight of the polymer, and the operation of the apparatus becomes unstable.